Step by Step
by Kisses on the Bottom
Summary: When it comes to profiling work, Natara Fallon is an expert. But, pregnancy? Not so much. She'll need all the help she can get as she goes through her mommy-to-be phase...step by step of the way.
1. Month 1

**Month 1**

"_A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for."_

"I…I'm _what?" _Natara gasped. Beside her, Mal could only smile.

"Oh, Mrs. Fallon… Pregnancy isn't hard! It's an extremely natural process that is used to create spawns and replenish the earth with your young! Just think, in forty short weeks, you'll have your own bundle of joy! Oh, but you're already one month pregnant, so it may be a shorter pregnancy period!" Dr. Johnson said passionately and cradled her clipboard in her hands with Natara's pregnancy test results clipped onto it.

Natara blinked a few times and let out a tiny groan that only she could hear. "_Thank you, _Dr. Johnson. Can we, uh, leave soon?" She said impatiently.

Dr. Johnson smiled and ignored Natara's remark. "Now, Mrs. Fallon, there are a few rules you need to take into consideration!" She flipped through a packet of papers. "Oh, yes. Read over this packet and try to follow every single suggestion and tip inside. That will ensure a safer pregnancy! And your next appointment is in two weeks, just a quick check-up with Dr. Jolly."

Natara nodded and gulped. "O-okay, thank you, Doctor… Can we leave now?"

Dr. Johnson smiled and nodded. "Have a great day, Fallons, and congratulations!"

Mal opened the door of the doctor's office and turned back to Dr. Johnson. "Thank you, Doctor. Have a nice day."

Natara didn't say anything, but once the couple walked out of the building, she turned pale.

"Nat, are you all right?" Mal questioned.

Gulping for air, Natara struggled to nod. "I—I just… I'm _pregnant, _Mal. That's a lot of pressure, and I…to be honest, I'm really nervous."

Mal squeezed her hand. "Hey, I'll be here for you. We'll get through this together. Besides, remember that one night, a few weeks ago, where you were telling me all about your dream baby?

Natara smiled as she remembered that night.

"…_and I don't know what I'd name it, Mal. I really would like it to be a girl... Then I could buy dresses for her, and do her hair, and make her hairbows, and put her in ballet classes, and…and everything!" Natara sighed and pulled the covers up to her neck._

_Beside her, Mal wrapped his arm around her bare waist and nuzzled his face into her shoulder. "You really are passionate about these things, aren't you?" _

_Natara thought about it for a second, and then smiled, but Mal couldn't see, because the room was pretty dark. Instead, she just laughed. "I guess so…" she began, but she could feel Mal's lips gently press against hers, and they kissed for a few moments. She finally pulled away and snuggled into his arms. "…yeah. Yeah, I am pretty excited about this type of stuff."_

"_I can tell," Mal returned a small laugh and ran his fingers through the hair on her freshly-shampooed head. "You smell nice."_

_Natara sighed and wrapped herself around him. "It's called shampoo." _

_And they started a whole different conversation._

Natara blinked as she finished her quick flashback. She turned to Mal and nodded. "Yeah, I remember. I guess I'll be alright, won't I?"

Mal gently put his arm around her waist and smiled. "Yup. You'll be fine. And do you know what I'm going to do for you?" He said as he walked to the car in the parking lot.

Grinning wildly, Natara whispered softly: "What?"

Mal put on a mischievous smile. "…I'll throw our coffee maker and wine cabinet out the window." He then darted across the parking lot to the car.

Natara gasped and ran after him. "Oh my God, Mal! You _won't!" _She then became secretly glad she used to be a track runner in high school; those skills _really _helped right then.

By the time Natara caught up with her husband, they were both out of breath and laughing.

"I love you," Nat said softly.

Mal gave her a long kiss, and then pulled away, whispering in her ear: "I love you more, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to throw that stuff out the window."

"_Mal!"_


	2. Month 2

**Month 2**

"_Thou who experiences morning sickness shall eat dry crackers, or puke. Pick your fate."_

"_Mmmmmmh…" _Natara struggled to open her eyes one bright, Saturday morning. Suddenly, abdominal pain hit her like a gunshot. "_Unghhh…" _she groaned.

Beside her, Mal was quietly watching television with headphones on. He had a box of cream cracker biscuits in his lap and was munching on them, but when he felt Natara rustle in the bed, he swallowed them down. "Morning, sleepyhead…"

Natara held her stomach. "I _really _don't feel well, Mal…" she groaned again, this time a little bit louder.

Mal shrugged, reached his arm into the box, and pulled out another cracker. "Sorry, Nat." He then reached the arm that was holding the cracker and let it hover above Natara's head. She sat up and gasped.

"What the hell is that?" she grumbled.

Mal put the cracker in his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. "They say you should eat dry crackers when you're experiencing morning sickness. Try it, it might help."

Natara smirked. "Oh yeah? _Who _said that?"

Reaching behind himself, Mal pulled out the white packet that Dr. Johnson had given them. "Doctor's orders," he tried not to laugh as he handed Natara the papers. Her face turned from angry to angrier.

"Ah hell…" she mumbled under her breath and grabbed a cracker out of the box.

Mal laughed. "I wonder who says _that…_" he switched the TV channels from _ESPN _to _MommyTV._

Natara looked up from the cracker she was eating. "Huh?"

"Oh, Nat…" Mal just sat back and began to watch the short program on baby food as Natara snacked on dry crackers. "…you amuse me."


	3. Month 3

**Month 3**

"_Feeling fat lasts nine months, but the joy of being a mother lasts forever." _

_~Nikki Dalton_

The whole house filled with the aroma of steamed vegetables, mashed potato, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and turkey. Mal could feel himself getting hungrier and hungrier by the second, but he forced himself not to pick at the food until Natara was ready. So, he patiently waited in the living room until he heard a bloody scream coming from upstairs.

"_Mal…MAL! COME HERE!"_ It was Natara.

For a second, he thought that something was wrong, or that Natara had fallen, or _something _had happened to the baby, but when he got upstairs, panting heavily, he felt relief when Natara walked out of the bathroom, looking safe and sound.

"Natara, you're alright!" he gasped and flopped down onto their bed. "Why the heck did you scream so loudly?"

Natara had tears in her eyes. "Mal, _all _of my clothes are tight on me… I just… Ughhhhhh!" She sat down in the recliner, sobbing.

"Is that a bad thing?" Mal wondered aloud as his thoughts drifted back to the delicious Thanksgiving food waiting downstairs.

Natara gasped. "Of course it is! This blouse I've wanted to wear for the longest time is _really _tight on me! I…I must be getting fatter!"

Mal could see what was upsetting her. "Er, here's the thing, Natara…when you get pregnant, you're kind of _supposed _to gain wait. You're sort of _carrying a baby, _you know?" He tried to help her feel better.

Suddenly, Natara threw the tight blouse at him. "No need to get sarcastic, Mal…" she groaned. "I'm depressed enough as is." She cried. Mal walked over to her and placed his arm around her shoulders.

"Don't you have another shirt you can wear?" he asked her. "Ken, Amy, and Kai are probably almost here…"

Natara walked into her closet and pulled out a white blouse. "Thank goodness my mom sends too-big clothes for me every Christmas."

Mal sighed with relief, and then cracked a joke. "Hey, that means the clothes that she sends this year are gonna fit you just right!"

This time, Natara threw a pillow at him.


	4. Month 4

**Month 4**

"_A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches."_

_~Bible_

"Kristi, Kristin, Kristine, Kristinette…" Natara recited as she curled up on the couch in front of the warm fireplace, reading the _4000 Baby Names _book her Mom had given her for Christmas. She only bothered looking in the girls' names section, though.

A few feet away from her, Mal rested on the loveseat. "Nat, don't you think you should also be picking out boy names, too?" he suggested.

"Shush, Mal. I'm inspired!" Natara sighed as she flipped through the word-packed pages. "Oh, look at this. It says here that _Malachi _means '_angel, messenger of God.'_ See? I _am _looking up boy names!"

Mal knew that trick. "No, you're not! I told you what my name meant a few days ago, on Christmas. You're still on the girls' section!"

Natara threw back her head and laughed. "Ok, you caught me."

"Exactly." Mal felt accomplished at that moment. He watched as Natara gently flipped through more pages.

"Oh, Mal…I _really _like the name Michelle for a girl. Don't you just love that name?" she sighed hopelessly and leaned back in the soft leather couch. "You know, I'm _really _starting to enjoy this pregnancy…it's so exciting!"

Mal smiled and sat up. "You know what name I like more than Michelle?"

Nat put down her book for a minute. "What? I mean, Michelle is a beautiful name. It'll be super hard to top _that._"

"Natara."

"What is it?" Nat flipped through the book a bit more.

"No, I love the name _Natara_. Too bad it's already taken," Mal playfully teased.

Nat shook her head and frowned. "Um, no. I hate my name," she sighed.

Mal stood up and walked over to where Nat was sitting. "You're such a bad liar." He gently kissed her neck, and then picked up the remote and switched to _MommyTV._

Natara groaned. "Mal, what is it with your obsession with _MommyTV?_ It's getting _so _annoying! I must have watched every program on there _twice! _Do you have any idea how irritating those fake, annoying moms on that channel are? It really gets to me!"

"Of course I do, Nat," Mal tried not to smile. "That's what makes it so amusing."


	5. Month 5

**Month 5**

"_By far the most common craving of pregnant women is not to be pregnant."_

_~Phyllis Diller_

Diamonds, gold, jewels, earrings, necklaces, and galore, everything a woman would want. And all of them were scattered on Natara's vanity desk. She picked through the jewelry and pulled out a pair of pearl earrings to wear and a matching necklace. She stood up and smoothed out her blue dress. Her fingers ran over the famous pregnancy belly bump, where she could feel Baby kicking and assuming different positions.

"Natara, you ready?" Mal called from outside the room. "We don't have all day…and we're already running late! _And _you're taking forever! We're gonna be _really, really _late if you don't…" he complained.

"…Mal, I'm a woman. I'm supposed to take long to get ready." The door opened, and a very classy-looking Natara Fallon stepped out. Her coffee-colored hair flowed gracefully behind her back as she took another step forward. Mal stopped blabbing and got a good look at her immense beauty, which completely took his breath away for a few long moments. Natara smiled. "You can put your tongue back in your mouth now, Mal."

He snapped out of it and embarrassingly shut the door behind her. "…right. So, uh…you know there's gonna be wine tonight at the party, huh?"

Natara frowned. "I'm well aware of that." She grabbed her purse and began to walk downstairs.

Mal couldn't help but grin. "I won't drink in front of you, Nat. That would be just mean. It's been four months since your last glass of wine, hasn't it?"

Natara whirled around and smacked her purse at him. "…are you trying to make me feel bad? Because I feel _accomplished_."

"Oh, that's great, honey!" Mal kissed his wife's cheek, even though she was still not amused. "So now I've decided to drink my wine while you spend the party time at the dessert table, so I won't make you feel bad."

"…you're _really _funny." Natara rolled her eyes as she made her way to the kitchen for a quick snack. "Besides, I don't get cravings anymore!" She dug into the fridge and pulled out a jar of store brand pickles, unscrewed the lid, and stuck a spoon inside.

Mal laughed as he straightened out his tie. "No, Nat…_you're _really funny. You say you don't get cravings anymore?" He pointed to Natara, who was busily munching on pickles. She was smiling and rubbing her belly.

"Oh, that hit the spot…ahhh…" she munched, and screwed the lid back on top of the jar. Placing the jar back in the fridge, she caught a glance at Mal's suspicious facial expression. He shook his head and linked his arm with hers.

"Ready, Mommy?" he asked playfully as she grabbed her coat.

Big mistake.

Natara took a swing at Mal with her coat and hit him in the arm. "Ow! Natara, why do you enjoy hitting me so much with the randomest household items?" He winced and held his arm tightly. Nat just smiled and slid into her leather boots, feeling a sense of accomplishment tingling down her spine.

"…I'm pregnant, Mal. I have my advantages…" she walked outside, Mal struggling to catch up with her. She opened the car door and sat inside, glancing at herself in the passenger seat mirror to reveal slightly smeared eye makeup. "…oh damn. _Never _again am I buying cheap mascara."

Mal slid inside the car and pulled out of the driveway. "Nat, if you don't feel well while we're at the party, tell me and we'll go home." He sincerely told her as he turned left on Jacobson Avenue.

Natara rolled her eyes. "Mal, I'm done with the morning sickness phase. Besides, I really miss socializing with our co-workers. It's been awhile since we've done that, hasn't it?"

Mal nodded. "I know. Can you believe Kai is crushing on Amy?"

Nat gasped. "…he _is?" _

"Yeah!" Mal couldn't stop himself from softly laughing. "We were drunk the other night, and he totally spilled all his secrets to me and Ken…" The cold glare on Natara's face made him stop smiling.

An awkward silence hung over the car.

"Mal, was this the same night that Amy and I were at the movies?" Natara broke the ice and glared at her embarrassed husband. He shuffled uncomfortably in his seat as he drove to _Adele's, _the Italian restaurant that the work party was to be held at.

"…maybe?" he shrugged. "Ok, so I haven't visited the Drunk Tank in awhile, but it's the first time I've gone in weeks, trust me!"

Natara could only sigh. "I honestly don't think Kai and Amy would make a very good couple. Kai is _definitely _not Amy's type!" she laughed. "Even now, those two bicker more than a married couple."

Mal agreed with a brisk nod. "I know, right?"

The awkwardness passed, as well as the party. Natara was surprised that she had much more fun than she thought she would have; joking around with Amy, eating chocolate cake with Kai, and slow dancing with Mal made her night extra special. She felt the baby kicking even more, but merely smiled. Dr. Johnson was right…it _was _really exciting to be pregnant. Everything she went through would pay off when Kristin/Claire/Beth/Katelyn would be born.

It was raining after the party, so Mal gave Natara his jacket because hers was too thin and was made of poor material. As they were trading jackets, a bunch of people exiting the party pointed at the couple and said: "_Awwww…" _or _"Oh, how sweet…" _

Mal took Natara's hand as they walked a few blocks back to the car; they couldn't find a parking because there were so many people at the party, even though there were officers who couldn't make it because they were on the night shift.

Natara gave Mal's hand a gentle squeeze, and he returned one. They made their way to the car, just as the sky began releasing little droplets of rain that covered the car in water. You could hear gentle tapping noises as the drops beated against the windows as the couple stepped up to their car.

As soon as Natara was inside, she felt a small kick and smiled. "Mal, put your hand on my belly."

Daddy-to-be did as he was told and grinned when he felt the baby's gentle kick. He pulled Natara closer and sweetly kissed her forehead. Then his smile turned to a frown. "Sorry, Natara."

Nat was confused for a moment. "For what?"

Mal could only sigh. "For teasing you about your cravings. For not always being there for you when you need me. For going to the Drunk Tank. And, most of all, for not being a good husband."

Natara smiled and gently wrapped her arms around his neck. "Mal. I'm fine with the teasing. You _are _always here for me. I forgive you about the Drunk Tank. And most of all, you're the _best _husband ever." She let her lips softly meet his, and they shared a long, passionate kiss for a few minutes. Mal gently pulled away and brushed his hand across her cheek.

"I love you, Natara."

"Love you more."

"Love you most." And he gave her another long kiss, placing his hand on her swollen belly. This time, Natara pulled away after a long moment and rubbed her cheek.

"…Mal, your lips don't taste like beer, wine, or champagne…or _any_ alcoholic beverage," she laughed sweetly and smiled.

Mal held her close and let the raindrops fall onto his suit…he didn't care. "I know. I don't want to drink if you can't. Beers just aren't the same if they're not being shared with you…" He could feel another kick given by the baby.

Natara sighed softly, resting her head on Mal's shoulder and letting out a laugh of relief. She then brushed her cheek against his, feeling the raindrops on his face. He kissed her head, and she flashed a white smile.

Mal returned a grin. "Hey, Nat, can I ask you a question?" He innocently changed the subject as Natara lifted her head. She nodded quietly.

"You read the pregnancy packet that Dr. Johnson gave you, right?"

Natara let out a small groan. "Of course…even though it was kind of boring."

"Well, I was just wondering…" Mal began and stared at Natara's belly bump. "…Can pregnancy and labor pain cause depression? Just wondering, cause…"

Natara could only laugh as she cut in and stopped Mal before he could finish. "Mal, pregnancy causes anything you want to blame it for."


	6. Month 6

**Month 6**

"_Live life to the fullest, because you never know if it's your last day."_

Dancing around _Babies Galore_, Amy tore any cute baby item she could find off of the shelves. Natara kept up the pace behind her, even though her bump was larger than ever and she had trouble pushing the shopping cart.

"…Amy, I honestly don't think we have to add _everything _to my registry!" Natara stopped around the corner of the pacifier aisle and took a breather. "I mean, I don't need _all _of this stuff…"

Amy gasped and whirled around, tossing a pack of burp cloths in the shopping cart. "Natara, you need _all _of these things! Are you kidding me? This is going to be the _BEST. BABY. SHOWER. EVER._ And then you're going to have the _best baby ever!"_ She continued placing unneeded stuff into the basket, humming Adele songs under her breath.

"…Amy, I don't even know if it's a boy or a girl!" Natara grumbled. "Dr. Johnson recommends I get an ultrasound to know the baby's gender. I have a really strong feeling that it's going to be a girl, though."

Turning around, Amy shrugged. "So? If it's a boy, we'll paint all this stuff blue. If it's a girl, we paint it pink. Bingo!" She praised herself for the original idea and placed a bottle warmer into the overflowing shopping cart.

Natara shrugged and wandered into the boys' section and found a collection of blue onesies, diapers, and photo frames with tiny paintings of baseballs, basketballs, and footballs on the wooden part. "Oh, this is so cute," Natara whispered as she ran her fingers over the frame.

Suddenly, Nat's iPhone vibrated in her pocket. She slid it out of her jeans and saw that she got a FaceTime request from Mal. _Mal, you're at work. Please tell me this is important…, _Natara thought as she pressed the "Accept" button and a glimpse of Mal frantically running his fingers through his hair appeared on her screen.

"Hey." Natara greeted him.

Mal sighed. "Nat, hey. I just wanted to let you know that I love you more than life itself."

Natara frowned, and her eyes quickly drifted to the low battery warning that appeared on her phone's screen. She turned back to her worried-looking husband. "Mal, I love you too, but shouldn't you be working on the Andrew Talbot case instead of talking to your wife on FaceTime?"

His face fell. "No, Nat…you're so much more important than work. You…"

Heart thumping, Natara could feel that something was not right. "Mal, what's up? Something's wrong. You usually don't randomly say stuff like this when you're at work. Plus, your face is turning pale…are you all right?"

Swallowing hard, Mal tried to nod, but found that he couldn't. "Well, I just thought I should let you know that I love you very much because you're not going to live forever and I'll never know if this morning would be the last time I see you. Because…Nat…Captain Yeong's wife, Jennifer, died this morning. Captain never got to say her final goodbyes."

Natara felt your heart drop. "Mal…oh my…_how?_" She squeaked out as tears fell down her face, however, she didn't bother wiping them off.

Mal shuffled uncomfortably in his seat. "Heart attack. She had heart problems for awhile now, but I guess she never told anyone except Captain and Annie, their daughter…" He looks extremely worried. "What time are you coming to work today, Nat? I want to see you…"

Finally deciding to wipe off her tears, Natara brushed her hand across her face. She didn't care if her mascara smeared, or if she looked ridiculous… "Three-thirty…I—I want to see you, too. I'm working on Pete Smithinson's murder case, but…gosh, today is going to be an off day… How's Captain Yeong?"

Rubbing his temples, Mal sighed. "She left as soon as she heard the news. Her face showed a great sense of apathy when she was leaving, but I'm sure she's very, very sad… I have no idea when she'll be back." He looked sick.

Gulping back more tears, Natara looked around at the busy baby store. "I have to go, Mal…Amy and I are shopping for the baby, but I'll inform her about Captain's loss…it's just awful how the death was so sudden…" she glanced at the painful expression on Mal's face, then tried to brighten it up by bringing a grin to her lips. "I love you so much, Mal."

Mal's pale face regained some color as he smiled. "Love you too…but I have to go now, too; Ken called me in for an urgent meeting with the rest of the precinct. I hope Amy's enjoying her day off…but the SFPD really needs you back, Nat. Three-thirty can't come soon enough."

"…neither can June 12." Natara finished his thought. Both of them knew that June 12 was her due date, so they both shared a quiet smile as thoughts of the baby came to their heads.

"'Bye, Nat." Mal gave her a small wave through the camera.

"'Bye, yourself." Natara touched the "end" button on the FaceTime screen, as the snapshot of Mal's smiling face disappeared.

She gently placed her hand on her belly, threw back her head, and let out a loud sigh.

"You know," Natara began to talk to her belly. Who knows? Maybe the child could recognize her voice. "Your daddy's a wonderful guy. He loves you very much, and so do I. I can't wait until you come into our lives, precious."

The baby responded with a gentle kick.


	7. Month 7

**Month 7**

"_I can't imagine anything more worthwhile than doing what I most love. And they pay me for it."_

_~Edgar Winter_

Taking a sip of her lime blossom tea, Natara carefully reviewed the police files on Courtnie Smithinson, Pete's wife, who had a high position in her husbands' drug dealing occupation. Now that both were behind bars, Natara could finally rest. She had been working nonstop to arrest them, and her feet were starting to hurt every day. It interfered with her work quite a bit…

Mal was chosen as Captain Yeong's two month replacement. He wasn't used to a big position like Maria's, so like Natara, he had to adjust his work schedule and make his actions more careful. It was a lot of work; sometimes Mal would come home and go straight to bed…without dinner, changing his clothes, or brushing his teeth. The last one really got to Natara.

Her phone vibrated on the desk and a text from Kai appeared.

**Natara come 2 the crime lab we got smthn 2 show u! - Kai**

Nat shrugged and made her way to where Kai told her to go, going a little slower than usual because she felt a Braxton Hicks contraction coming on.

"Nhhhhhh…" she gripped herself as she tried to walk. She noticed Mal sitting at Captain's desk, answering a phone call from Mayor Seth Holland. He didn't look any happier than Natara did with her Braxton Hicks contractions. In fact, he looked quite pissed.

"Mayor, I already told you…calling the police because there's a cat in your damn lawn that won't leave isn't _a justified call! _We have _murders here to deal with!" _Mal slammed his fist into the table and groaned. "…fine. I'll give you a number to call Animal Control. Just leave me _alone_." He shuffled through some papers, cursing Holland under his breath and taking a sip of his coffee. Natara told Mal that he had to drink coffee, because he wanted to drop that, too, along with the drinking. "…ok, Alvin Animal Control's number is 555-401-3427." He slammed the phone back into its charging dock and groaned.

Natara walked up to his desk. "…Mal, you're being _very _professional." She grumbled as the false contractions got worse and cramping began.

Mal sighed. "I know who I'm _not _voting for as mayor next year." He then eyeballed an annoyed Natara's facial expression. "What's wrong? You feeling okay?"

Nat shrugged and nodded. "I've got a Braxton right now, but I'll be fine, I guess."

A slightly worried expression appeared on Mal's face. "Have you tried urinating? Sometimes a full bladder can trigger Braxtons." He thought for a second. "Or you could try drinking water, lying down on your side, or swift movements can…"

Natara cut him off. "I'll be alright, Mal. It's just uncomfortable, that's all. Don't worry. I'm supposed to meet Kai and Amy in the crime lab anyway. The cramps will alleviate soon, I can guarantee you."

Mal nodded, but still looked worried. "Ok, just take it easy. I can give you a ride home if you'd like…"

Natara shook her head. "I don't have to go home. But I have to go meet up in the crime lab. See ya later." She squeezed Mal's hand gently and walked off, feeling a bit of alleviation of the Braxtons.

Approaching the crime lab, she could see Amy and Kai excitedly dancing around a computer. Amy pulled Natara close and gave her a big hug.

"Natara! Natara! Someone bought _every _item on your registry! It…it's a miracle! I just _can't _believe it!" she screamed and danced around.

Natara froze. "Amy, who? Who bought everything?"

Kai stopped jumping around and formed a confused facial expression. "Wait, wait…what's a registry?"

Amy ignored him and thought about Natara's question. "Hmmm, I don't know. Do you want me to trace who made the purchases?"

Natara nodded. "Of course…I need to know who bought all these…they _really _didn't have to. I need to call them, though. That's just…wow!" She couldn't help but smile as the Braxtons went away miraculously.

Amy's fingers flew across the keyboard as she clicked the mouse a few times, and then stopped. She read the name on the screen and stopped smiling, cocked her head to the side, and shrugged. "Says here that it's from somebody named D. Mansingh. Do you know who that is?"

Natara froze. "D. Mansingh…that…that's my _dad._"


	8. Month 8

**Month 8**

"_Showers of joy…come girl or boy."_

Natara and Mal sat on the gorgeous table outside as people mingled and socialized, laughing breezily. Every five seconds, someone would come up to the couple and congratulate them about their bundle of joy that had yet to come. And then they would all hug and share news and then the next couple would come up. That's just how baby showers worked.

Except this baby shower was extra special to the Fallons. Not only was it _their_ baby shower, it was also May 12. And that meant that Natara's due date was in exactly one month. There were tons of preparations to do, of course. Mal and Natara had already painted the baby's room yellow, because yellow was a neutral color for a girl or boy. They wanted it to be a surprise, so the birth date would be more exciting.

"Mal!" Ken walked up to the couple and sighed. "I've been trying to find you everywhere, buddy!" He then looked at Natara and grinned. "Hey there, beautiful. How are you feeling?"

Natara returned a warm smile. "Fine, thanks, Ken."

Mal stood up and gave Ken a quick man-hug. "Hey, man. Glad you could make it."

Ken nodded. "This is really nice, you guys. Oh, Natara, I left your gift on the gift table. It's from all of us at the SFPD. Nothing on your registry was left to buy, so we just went out and picked a little surprise up. Hope you don't mind."

Natara could only smile. "Thanks, Ken. It means a lot. Enjoy yourself right now, though…there's lunch over there…" she pointed to a small clearing where Kai and Amy had volunteered to barbecue a meal and serve it. They seemed to be getting along quite fine, until Natara noticed Amy smack a hot dog on Kai's face. She sighed. "…and the dessert should be out in a few minutes."

Ken gave the couple a thumbs-up sign and walked off, calling: "Thanks…see ya later!"

Mal took Natara's hand as soon as Ken was out of sight. "I'm still in shock that your dad bought every item for you that was on the registry."

"I know," Natara nodded and sighed. "I really feel bad for arguing with him so much before…I want to get in touch with him, but I just don't know what to say. I even have his number in my phone stored on the SIM card, but I haven't dialed it in years. It's just so…I'm just an awful daughter."

Mal shook his head wildly and wrapped his arm around Nat. "No, you're not. You just need to call him, that's all." He kissed her cheek.

Natara opened her mouth to say something, but gasped when she saw Captain Yeong walking up to them. "Mal. Look who's coming." She whispered under her breath.

Captain looked the same, except both Natara and Mal could tell her hair had gotten grayer and she appeared pretty worn out as well. However, she stepped up to the couple and smiled. "Natara. Mal. Congratulations, you two." She shook Mal's hand and gave Natara a quick hug.

"Th-thank you, Captain." Mal's voice cracked. It was kind of embarrassing to him for a minute, but the awkwardness passed when Natara stood up. It was kind of hard to do, though, her stomach was larger than ever.

"Good to see you here, Captain. Really, it is." She didn't know what else to say.

Captain only nodded. "Thank you, Natara. I'll be back at work tomorrow, Mal, so you don't have to be Captain anymore…though, I'm sure, you did a fantastic job. I didn't have any complaints from anybody about your work, except for one from Mayor Holland. Something about a cat in his yard…?"

Mal opened his mouth to argue.

Captain cut him off. "…I don't want to know, Mal. Good job, though. I definitely would consider making you Captain if I ever step down." She then gave the couple a small wave with her hand. "Anyway, I have to go take Annie to cheerleading. It was nice seeing you two."

Natara swallowed hard. "All right, Captain. Bye!" She smiled in a friendly way.

Mal waved. "See you later."

Captain nodded and walked away. The couple could tell she had lost quite a bit of weight from the two months they hadn't seen her, but she seemed the same on the inside. Captain was tough…she'd pull through.

Mal broke the long silence between him and Natara. "You know, Nat…Captain Yeong coped with Jennifer's death well. But, I'd never be able to cope if I lost you."

Natara only smiled. "Mal, you'd cope."

"No I wouldn't."

"Yes, you would."

"No."

Natara smacked Mal's arm.

"Ow!" he gritted his teeth and frowned.

"Did you recover from _that?_" Natara pointed to his red arm.

Mal nodded, still furrowing his brow.

"Good. Then you'll be able to recover if I died. You're a tough guy." Nat giggled.

Mal ignored her and pulled her in for a long kiss.


	9. Month 9

**Month 9**

"_Women's bodies have near-perfect knowledge of childbirth; it's when their brains get involved that things can go wrong."_

_~Peggy Vincent_

Natara finished placing her camera inside her almost-full suitcase. Mal woke up this morning and insisted that she pack for the hospital, just in case she fell into labor and needed to go to there. He was working right now, though, and Natara was about to go to the precinct, even though Captain told her to take a month or two off to give birth and take care of the baby. Natara declined, though. She just wanted to get back to work, finish the Jake Martinez case, and _then _rest.

After a snack of Greek yogurt and walnuts, Natara drove to the precinct in Amy's car. Amy had lent the Fallons her extra car so Natara and Mal could go to work at different times. Natara stepped inside the SFPD workforce and went straight for her office, where Ken was waiting for her. He was also working on the case of Jake Martinez's murder.

"Natara, thank God you're here…I found out who killed Jake." He was out of breath.

Nat gasped. "Wait…who? I reviewed his files last night and could _not _guess a connection."

Ken frowned. "That's 'cause there wasn't one. The killer called himself the Randomizer because he's got anthrophobia, a fear of the human race. So he would kill off random people that looked different from one another to eliminate more and more humans."

Natara gulped. "Oh my God…you're right! The evidence all pieces itself together. That means…that means our killer is Chris Thatcher, doesn't it? He was the only person at the party that Jake was murdered at that seemed uncomfortable and scared around us!" When Ken nodded, Natara gasped. "Oh God…that means that Chris only went to the party to kill! Ken! We _have _to arrest him!"

Ken nodded and holstered his gun. "You got it. But there's no _we, _Natara. I'm going with Mal to arrest Thatcher, because he isn't on any other case at the moment. _You're _going to stay here and create a report about our criminal."

Natara shook her head. Both she and Ken knew that the rule was because she was pregnant. _Very _pregnant. "No, Ken…I _have _to go. I know what drives him…if you take quick measures, then Chris will just be afraid of you and kill you and Mal. I'll be careful, I swear. Please, Ken. We can get this over with, we'll arrest Chris if you just let me go with you…"

Ken frowned. "Natara…if you get shot or _anything _happens to you while we're arresting Thatcher, the SFPD isn't responsible because it was your choice. Please stay here, Natara. You're doing yourself a favor."

The stern look on Natara's face told Ken that she wasn't backing down. "There's no rule that says I can't go to a shootout if I'm pregnant. I promise you I'll do this right. I will _not _let Thatcher kill anyone anymore."

Ken groaned and called Mal to the car.

When he arrived, he noticed at Natara sitting in the backseat and shook his head. "No, Natara. You're _not _coming with me and Ken. You're staying here."

Natara shook her head. "No, Mal…I'm coming. I'll put a stop to Chris Thatcher's terrible doings and I'll be _so _careful…I know about his cravings to kill, I formed a profile while Ken called you over… _Please…_"

Mal opened his mouth to argue, but Ken stopped him. "Mal, we're wasting time. Just let the pretty lady come. Chris could be getting away right now."

Mal backed down and sighed. He climbed into the backseat with Natara and groaned. "Natara Fallon, if _anything _happens to you…" he began.

"I'll be _fine_," Natara argued as Mal's tense face softened.

They rode in silence until they came up to Chris Thatcher's house. Natara stepped out, feeling a strong kick in her belly. She winced quietly and walked up to the door, hoping to get this over with in a smart manner.

A very drunk Chris Thatcher opened the door. He had a pistol in his left hand and a Bud Lite in the right. Thatcher gasped with disgust when he noticed _humans _standing in the door, but seemed even more afraid when his eyes laid on Natara's pregnant belly.

"No…you…you're creating more spawn!" Thatcher screamed and pointed at Natara. "No…_more…HUMAN BEINGS!"_

Natara cautiously stepped forward. "Chris Thatcher, come with us. You don't have to do this. Kill us, and you'll be behind bars for the rest of your life. Don't kill us, and you won't be a prisoner. Just come with us…we can change this."

Thatcher shook his head and ran outside, dodging Natara, Mal, and Ken. He stopped himself in the street and raised his pistol. "No. Either way, I'll be stuck with you human pigs."

Ken frowned and grabbed his gun from its holster. "You know, Thatcher…_you're _a human pig, too."

Natara felt more and more tremendous kicks coming from her belly, and gritted her teeth in pain. "OW…" she whispered, reaching for her gun. Mal and Ken didn't hear her; they were too busy cornering Chris.

"Give up, Thatcher." Mal's voice was strong.

"Now." Ken ordered.

Chris shook his head wildly again and fired a shot at the sky. "No way…in hell!"

Ken groaned. "You know, I _really _would like you to resist."

Natara was about to talk some reasoning into Chris when a jolt in her stomach sent a searing pain through her body. "Nhhhhhh…" She gasped. This time, Mal heard her mutter and turned around in alarm.

"Nat, you all right?" he quickly asked, facing Chris again.

Natara struggled to nod, but managed to bounce her head up and down once, raising her gun. A sudden sensation to punch something spread through her aching body, as the world swam. She swallowed hard and tried to snap back into Special Agent mode.

"_NO, PIGS!" _Chris screeched and…

_POW! POW! POW!_

He fired 3 shots! The first one whirled right past Natara's head, the second pinged off the sidewalk, and the third hit Ken in the chest. He doubled over and fell down, even though he was wearing a bulletproof vest. Natara felt a painful, final cramp that brought tears to her eyes.

"_AHHHHHH!"_ she screamed in agony as she dropped to the grass on her knees, clutching her aching belly. Mal noticed that she was in pain and growled at Chris Thatcher, who aimed his pistol at Natara.

"You messed with my friend…" Mal looked down at Ken, who was clutching his chest and grimacing. "You messed with me…" He frowned and heard a click coming from a pistol, but it wasn't his. "But you _crossed the line _by messing with my wife." Raising his pistol to shoot Chris, a screaming sound came from behind him.

Mal realized it was coming from Natara again and whirled around to get good look at her. She let out one final, agonizing scream…

"_AHHHHHHHHH!" _

…and shot Chris Thatcher in the head.

Mal watched as Chris fell down into the grass, blood spraying from his skull. He couldn't believe it…Natara was screaming in pain, clutching in the grass, but she managed to kill Thatcher with a perfect shot to his head. He ran over to her and noticed she was holding her stomach.

"_MAL_…contractions…" Natara cried out loud as she tried to breathe.

Mal gulped and charged over to Ken. "Ken! _Ken! _Natara's in labor! You need to help me get her to the hospital!"

Ken groaned and clutched his chest. "Nhhhhhh…_ouch…damn, _that hurts…" he muttered. "…I_…_I'll be ok. Here, I'll help you carry her to the car." He clenched his teeth as he got up. "All right. Let's go."

Meanwhile, Natara was trying to focus on her breathing. "Hhhh… _Hhhhh…" _

Mal and Ken helped her up gently and walked carefully to the car. Ken pushed her into the backseat with great care. "Mal, I'll drive. Get in the back with her." He ordered and climbed into the front. Mal slid next to Natara and gulped.

"_Go, Ken!" _Natara screamed.

"I _am_!" Ken argued, but he saw the death stare on Mal's face and stopped arguing with Natara.

Mal grabbed his cold water bottle from the cup holder and ripped off a piece of his shirt. He wet the cloth and placed it on Natara's hot forehead. "There you go, Nat…we'll be at the hospital…_don't worry_…"

Natara could only focus on her breathing. She gripped Mal's arm tightly. "I didn't think…" she began, trying to spit out words. "…it would hurt…_this much…_" She tried keeping her eyes open, but then decided that hurt too much, so she kept them closed.

Mal brushed his hand across Natara's cheek. "We're almost there, Nat…"

There were five seconds of quiet, and then…

Natara felt water gushing on her leg. "_OH MY GOD! MAL!" _

"What is it?" he gasped.

"Mm…my _water…_" Natara could only breathe out the words she wanted to say. "I…I think it's _broken…_ it's… _AHHHHH!" _The contractions got much, much worse.

Mal could feel his leg becoming wet. He wanted to scream in agony like Natara, he wanted all of her pain to be transferred to him, he wanted her to be _all right_… But he forced himself to remain calm. This…wasn't good. At all.

Natara kept trying to hold in her screams, but her voice wouldn't give in. It rang across the car as she yelped. Mal held onto her tight as her soft brown eyes closed and everything went black for a long, long moment.

_15 Minutes Later_

Mal wished he could be with his wife, but she was in the hospital room with Dr. Thomas Hughes, the obstetrician. Ken sat next to him, reading Parent magazines and sipping coffee. He seemed so calm, but Mal couldn't contain himself. He practiced rhythmic breathing to see if it would help…and it did, a little. But his heart still thumped wildly.

"Mr. Fallon?" a nurse called. Mal jumped up out of his seat and darted to her. "Your wife seems to be having slight complications…the baby's heartbeat is somewhat irregular and shows a reduced oxygen level… Dr. Hughes recommends an immediate cesarean section."

Mal couldn't swallow or breathe. He only nodded weakly. "All right. C-section it is." This couldn't be happening.

The nurse marked something on her clipboard. "Come with me, Mr. Fallon. We'll get you a mask, cap, and gown. You'll be able to be with your wife now."

That was a giant relief to Mal. He breathed in hard and followed the nurse to a closet, where he accumulated hospital cover-ups. After quickly placing them on, he walked into the delivery room, where he saw Natara in her bed. She was awake now and clenching her teeth. Mal knew she was in pain…it tore his heart to see her going through this.

Dr. Hughes motioned for Mal to get alongside Natara. He stood next to her, holding her hand. The nurse placed a curtain over Natara's belly so she wouldn't see the light cuts being made in her abdomen.

"Hey, sweetie…" Mal gently ruffled his wife's hair.

She tried to smile but then grimaced as she felt a needle going through her skin as regional anesthesia was placed. Mal had already signed the permission-to-give-anesthesia papers and sighed as he watched Natara keep her eyes open.

Dr. Hughes began the C-section. Natara seemed to be alright, because she was seeing, feeling, and hearing everything that was going on. She could feel the doctor remove something from her body after the incisions, but felt no pain. It felt as if a large weight was being removed from her abdomen.

Mal couldn't help but smile when he saw a baby's head peeking over the curtain as Dr. Hughes said, excitedly: "It's a boy!"

Natara gasped with joy, and a smile formed on her lips.

Dr. Hughes weighed the baby at 7 pounds, 5 ounces. Mal felt hot tears forming in his eyes, and let them fall as he saw the baby struggling and crying. Natara tried to sit up and reached out for the little pink baby. Dr. Hughes placed the child on Natara's breast and he happily sucked.

Natara smiled. "Mal…" she whispered quietly. "It _did _turn out to be a boy."

Mal stroked her cheek. "I know…have we decided on a name yet?" He gently asked.

Natara looked at Dr. Thomas Hughes with a sense of extreme gratitude resting in her heart. She nodded and smiled. "Thomas."

"I love it." Mal laughed with joy. "After Dr. Hughes."

Dr. Hughes turned around. "Mr. and Mrs. Fallon, it's an honor."

"Thomas Malachi Fallon." Natara finished her thought as the nurse wrote the baby's name down.

Mal couldn't speak, but he nodded and kissed Nat's cheek gently. "It's perfect…" he finally whispered when he could regain his speech, which was a few seconds later.

Natara sighed and grinned. "I couldn't have asked for a more perfect baby."

Mal returned a smile. "Yep."

The couple shared a blissful silence as they watched Thomas fall asleep.

"Nat?" Mal broke the silence with a question.

"Hmmm?"

"Maybe next time it will be a girl."

"Who said there's going to be a next time?" Natara laughed and wrapped her lips around Mal's in a tender kiss.


	10. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"_You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance."_

_~Franklin P. Jones_

Mal's gun was pointed straight toward the killer's chest.

"You've crossed the line, scumbag."

The shady criminal shook his head and raised his gun, firing a warning shot into the air. "Stay away from me, pig!"

"Fine." Mal's finger menacingly brushed against the trigger. "You asked for it."

_POW!_

The bullet narrowly missed the suspect's head as he ran upstairs.

"Ugh!" Mal groaned and chased him up the stairs. "_You will never get away!" _

"Watch me."

After a few minutes of chasing the fast suspect, Mal caught his breath in the shady bathroom. He peered around. No one was there…

_POW!_

Mal felt a bullet hit his chest. "AHHHH!" he cried and fell to the floor.

The "suspect" laughed like crazy as he heard his NERF gun hit the floor. "Gotcha!"

Smiling, Mal caught Thomas in his arms as he tried to run off again . "Sure did, buddy. You win…for now. But you're still taking a bath."

"_Oh no!" _Thomas cried.

Mal swooped his son up and carried him to the master bathroom. He took a good look at Thomas's angry little face: blue eyes, light brown hair, light olive skin, a small furrowed brow…he definitely had a mix of you and Natara's features.

"Thomas?" Natara called from the bathroom. Mal could hear the bathtub water running even from a few yards away. "Where are you? I have to give you a bath!"

"_Awwww, darn…" _Thomas muttered under his breath.

"Sorry, sport." Mal laughed as he met up with Natara by the bathtub. He took a good look at Natara, who had trouble bending over. She was six months pregnant…with a girl. This time, the Fallons had an ultrasound done to see the gender of the child.

Thomas sat in the bathtub, playing with his toys, but the trinket he admired most was the water gun. Natara poured some shampoo in his hair, but he squirt her with a water gun.

"Don't touch me, lady! I'm Officer Fallon, and I'm _mean._"

Natara could only laugh as she looked at Mal.

The whole family shared a smile.


End file.
